Moulton, AL – February 24, 2023 – Once again, the Friends of the Lawrence County Public Library are hosting the Adult Spelling Bee. This year the Bee will be on Saint Patrick’s Day, Friday, March 17th at 6:00 PM, in the Moulton Middle School’s old gymnasium. Teams may register by visiting the library’s website: myLCPL.org. The registration deadline is end of the day (6:00 PM) Thursday, March 16th. There is a $150.00 entry fee per team. There will be an additional $25.00 late entry fee for those who register after the Thursday deadline. There is a maximum limit of 8 teams so be sure to sign up early. Corporate and Company sponsorships are encouraged.
As funds for the library have shrunk over the past few years, library staff and volunteers are doing anything they can think of to try and raise money to keep the library open the 40 hours a week the state requires.
Friends of the Library president Vickey Lundy said she came up with the idea after her sister, who lives in Chattanooga, Tenn., told her of a library there that hosted an adult spelling bee.
"I started doing some research on adult spelling bees and thought it would be a good idea," Lundy said. "It is a lot of fun for the adults."
Past Adult Spelling Bees have been lots of fun with teams demonstrating their prowess at spelling. There are lots of laughs, drama and a few red faces. Unlike school spelling bees where students take turns spelling words given to them by the moderator in a very serious manner, the Adult Spelling Bee is about having fun.
First of all, instead of a single person spelling a word, there are teams, called hives, of three to five people who collaborate to spell each word given to them. Even if the team/hive misspells a word they can use a REBUZZ ticket to stay in the competition. Teams/hives consist of three to five adults aged 19 years or older with an entry fee of $150.00 per team/hive. Teams/hives can be co-workers, family or friends and multiple teams from the same organization are eligible.
Each team/hive will pick a team/hive name and dress up in costumes with that theme. Some past examples are: Never the Less, She Persisted (2017 Champs); Courthouse Convicts (2019 Best Costumes); Taxmanian Devils; C ‘Bee’ and S Spellers (2018 & 2019 Champs); Dumplin’s; The Doctors; Make America Spell Again and Stellar Spellers (2020 Champs).
Audience participation is encouraged. Audience admission tickets are $5.00, which includes a REBUZZ ticket which can be used to support their favorite team. Free admission for those under 19. Popcorn, snacks and drinks will be available.
All in all, this event promises to provide great entertainment in addition to providing funds in support of the Lawrence County Public Library (LCPL).
Rex Bain, LCPL Executive Director, said fundraisers such as the adult spelling bee are vital to keeping the library up and running.
“Any event that can raise money is important to the library," Bain said. "The state requires us to be open 40 hours per week to be eligible to receive state funding since the population we serve is over 25,000 people. While library finances have improved since the departure of International Paper, it is hard to keep the library open 40 hours a week with decreased funding."
If the library does not remain open 40 hours per week, it risks losing state funding.
The Friends of the Library wish to acknowledge and thank Moulton Middle School Principal Michael Hathorn and staff for making the gymnasium available for this event.
About LCPL
The Lawrence County Public Library was founded in 1961 as the Moulton Library before transitioning to the county library during the early 70’s. The current library opened its doors to the public in 1974 near historic downtown Moulton by the Lawrence County Board of Education and Lawrence County High School. The library currently serves a population over 30,000 residents.
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